SAN JOSE, Calif. — There have been only-for-fun Texas Hold'em games against the media — all hail to kicker Dan Kelly — and the usual light-toned, walk-through practice in which players switched jerseys to fool any spying eyes at San Jose City College.

But all kidding aside, there is a serious undertone as the Hawai'i football team prepares for its first real test of the season — today's nationally-televised game against San Jose State.

Both teams are unbeaten in the Western Athletic Conference — the 16th-ranked Warriors at 3-0, the Spartans at 2-0.

"It's our first opportunity to go up against a team that is tied with us for No. 1 in the WAC," Spartan quarterback Adam Tafralis said. "We'll treat this like a championship game, just like we're going to treat every game from here on out."

UH quarterback Colt Brennan, who appears to have recovered from a sprained right ankle that limited him to five series last week, said: "They're undefeated and we're undefeated, and there's a lot on the line. That's fine with us. Trust me, if there's one game we've been most excited about up until this point, it's this game. Friday night on ESPN is one thing. Not just that, but we've kind of played the easier part of our schedule, and now we're playing an opponent that's good enough for us to get excited for."

The Warriors' first six opponents have a combined 7-28 record. None is over .500. The Warriors have beaten the WAC's bottom three teams — Utah State (0-6), Idaho (1-5) and Louisiana Tech (1-4).

"It's going to be a challenge," Brennan said. "No doubt, San Jose will come out and probably play one of the best games of their season."

UH coach June Jones said the loser of today's game will have difficulty winning the WAC's regular-season title. Since the league was reconfigured in 1999 after eight teams seceded, the champion has never had more than one WAC loss.

"Whoever comes out with a win (today), still has a chance to become WAC champion," Jones said. "You never know (if the loser will be eliminated), but I think it would be."

In last year's meeting, the Warriors won in a rout, 54-17. Do the Spartans have payback on their minds?

"To an extent, maybe for a few of us," Tafralis said. "But most of the team, a lot of our guys on offense, didn't play last year."

Tafralis said the three freshman starting offensive linemen and four of the wideouts did not play in that game.

"For us, we know what happened," Tafralis said. "You never forget. But we're not focused on that. We're looking to the future and what our team can do today, not what we were doing last year."

UH right slotback Ryan Grice-Mullins said the Warriors will not be affected by playing in their first nationally-televised game of the season.

"We're going to go out there and do the same thing," Grice-Mullins said. "We don't know we're on national TV when we're playing. It's not like we're watching the game on TV. We just go out there and play. There's no pressure if you take it as a regular game."

Brennan said the Warriors are comfortable playing on the road. They are 6-2 in away games the past two seasons.

Several thousand UH fans are expected to attend. There was a UH-hosted cocktail party yesterday at the Dolce Hayes Mansion, where the team is staying. UH's Northern California alumni association had a party last night. A large tailgate party is set for today at a nearby baseball field.

"The support we've had on the road has been unparalleled. It's been awesome," Brennan said. "When Hawai'i goes to California, it's a different atmosphere. It's almost like going home.

"I remember two years ago when we were in San Jose, there were more Hawai'i fans than San Jose fans. This year, considering how big the game is, the atmosphere is going to be dynamic. That's exciting for us. That helps us tremendously. Hopefully, when we show up and see the atmosphere and realize the magnitude of the game, we'll rise to the level and play our best game of the season."

Visit Tsai's blog at www.HawaiiWarriorBeat.com.

Reach Stephen Tsai at stsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.